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By David F. Dawes
 | | Mike Mason with his favorite umbrella. |
FIRST, a confession.
I was privileged to meet Langley author Mike Mason a few months ago, when he visited our offices. We shook hands, and I told him how much I’d enjoyed the columns we had published in BCCN – and especially that one he wrote about Holocaust survivors.
The writer paused, then quietly said: “Um, I didn’t write that.” He smiled graciously – while I sank slowly into the carpet.
I’m not sure whether I volunteered to review his first novel as a form of penance, or simply out of curiosity as a fantasy afficionado. I can say this, however, with certainty: I don’t think I’ll ever get Mason mixed up with another writer again.
Simply put, The Blue Umbrella (David C. Cook, 2009) is a delight.
It has one of the best openings I’ve ever read: “Not many people are killed by lightning. Zac’s mother was.” It has a church called St. Heldred and All Angles (no, that’s not a spelling mistake). It also has one of my favourite surnames for a family of villains: the Henbother clan – an appellation worthy of Dickens, that (Uriah Heep, move over).
According to an interview included in the back of the book, this children’s fantasy represents a major wish fulfillment for Mason: “For years, I’d written nonfiction books with a message, and I was tired of that. I had nothing more to tell anyone; instead, I just wanted to tell a good story. I had just turned 50, and I realized that fiction is what I’d really wanted to write all along. Somehow I’d gotten away from that, and it was time to return to my original dream.”
Well, Mason certainly has not squandered his opportunity.
The substantial plot begins with the orphaned Zachary Sparks being taken in (in more ways than one) by his aunties, the spectacularly ghastly Henbother sisters. Eventually, they introduce him to their dear Dada – surely one of the creepiest nasties in the history of kid lit.
Zac’s life is one of unbridled misery. Indeed, his sufferings, such as vicious canings and constant verbal abuse, are very grim for a children’s novel. Mason, to his credit, doesn’t give his younger readers an unrealistic view of the world’s evils.
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A glimmer of hope comes to Zac, however, in the form of oddball Sky Porter, who operates Porter’s General Store (based on a real Langley locale).
When Sky reveals the secret of his blue umbrella, the story enters a realm of enchantment, eternal youth and strange weather; I won’t spoil it for you.
As a novelist, Mason has it all: vivid and convincing characterization; engaging dialogue; absorbing and unpredictable plotting with an underpinning of serious concerns; humour which entertains without distracting one from the narrative; and above all, a fine writing style. He frequently offers lovely turns of phrase, and has a seemingly inexhaustible gift for fresh and evocative metaphors.
My only criticism is that he overdoes the caricature of one of the Henbothers, gratuitously poking fun at her excess weight a few too many times. But that’s a very minor flaw.
Matters of faith are touched upon without hijacking the narrative in favour of dogma.
The dark side of the church is exemplified by the scheming pastor of St. Heldred’s. The children, however, take God much more seriously. But this is not tidy Christian lit with the obligatory thinly-veiled altar call. This is a great tall tale – what Monty Python’s Michael Palin would call ‘a ripping yarn.’
It’s no exaggeration, in my view, to call this book a classic for fantasy lovers of all ages. It could even give a certain young wizard a run for his gold coins, if the author had J.K. Rowling’s promotional budget.
The Blue Umbrella is apparently the first of a series. That is often not a good sign. In this case, however, given the author’s talent, I think it augurs well.
I can hardly blame Mason for wanting to revisit such a highly entertaining corner of the fantasy universe.
Keep an eye on MikeMasonBooks.com.
(Okay, Mike – am I forgiven?)
March 2010
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